Apparatus for manufacturing combustible gas



Feb. 7, 1933. H. o. LOEBELL v 1,896,799

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING COMBUSTIBLE GAS Original Filed Dec. 'lf192s 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 avwem oz HENRY 0 LOEBELL H. O. LOEBELL APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING COMBUSTIBLE GAS Feb. 7, 1933.

Original Filed Dec. 7, '1923 2 Sheets-Sheet avwentoz HENRY O. LOEBELL ma /W's Gum/n2 Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE,

HENRY 0. LOEBELL, or "WI-IITESTONE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR ro HENRY L. DOI-IERTY,

on NEW YORK, N. Y.

sional application.

APPARATUS non MANUFACTURING COMBUSTIBLE Gas.

Original application filed December7, 1923, Serial No. 679,132. Divided' and. this application filed October 12, 1926. Serial No. 141947;"

This invention relates to the manufacture of fuel gas, and more particularly to apparatus for making gas for industrial purposes by the complete gasiiication of coal.

The apparatus constituting the subject of this invention was originally described in my application, Ser. No. 67 9,132,filed December 7, 1923, of which this forms ajdivi- The subject matter of the present case constitutes a modification and improvement in the apparatus shown and described in my copending application for the manufacture of fuel gas, SenNo. 640,828, filed May 23, 1923, now matured into Patent 1,837,226, issued December 22, 1931.

The method of and apparatus for making fuel gas for industrial heating purposes described in the above application may be briefly outlined as follows: The fuel to be gasified, preferably avmixture of coal and coke, is passed downwardly in a column through a shaft generator, and a high temperature zone is maintained in the mid portion of the column by continuously blasting a mixture of preheated air and steam therethrough. The producer gas generated in the mid portion of the fuel column by the action of the hot blast miXtures is divided, and a minor portion of this gas is passed up through the fuel column, heating and carbonizing the coal therein, and is withdrawn together with the products of distillation of the coal from the top of the column. A major portion of the hot producer gas'is removed separately from the generator through a central oiftake which is suspended from the top of the shaft with its gas inlet adjacent the cen-' ing chamber of the apparatus used in carrying out the process outlined above is occupied by the central gas ofitake. Moreover, the path traveled by the blast gases through the fuel column is comparatively short in length,

a so that the high temperature gasifying zone is limited in size. These features of the above producer.

invention together with other features outlined in the method of operation, while of and vertically spaced therefrom. The blast inlet and gas offtake are provided with connections by which they are made interchangeable, and the nostrils 'through which air is introduced and exhaust gases are removed These featurescombine to produce a greatly .70 are positioned on opposite sides of the shaft.

enlarged high temperature zone as well as an I enlarged carbonizing .zone, and thereby increases the fuel treating capacity of the apparatus considerably. 1

Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for inakingindus'trial gas by use of which the fuel to be treated may be regularly and efliciently passed.

through the .gas generator and removed therefromlwithout obstruction or arching or the adhering of slag or coke to parts of the Other features of the present'invention clude an improved devicefor supporting fuel in a column'and for removing fuel therefrom, and also a device for charging fuel into or discharging fuel from generators of the shaft type.

The combination of an open unobstructed gas generating shaft with a peripheralblast inlet and a device for removing coke and ash peripherally from the bottom of the column of fuel being treated are further features whereby clinkering of the charge is prevented, a variable rate of movement of fuel through the axial'and peripheral portions of the shaft is effected, anda'n easily controlled I mg removedfromthe generator.

' process and a uniformly gasified product are obtained.

With these and other objects and features in view, the invention consists in the improved gas making apparatus hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

The various features of the invention "are illustrated-in the accompanying drawings, in

which 7 I Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section with parts in elevation of a gas generator embodying the preferred form of the invention; Fig. 2' is a top plan View partly in section of the generatorshown in Fig. 1, taken onthe line 22;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the generator taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the generator taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '5 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the mechanism for charging coke and coal into the top of the generator; Fig. 6 is a vertical elevation'partly in sec- =tion illustrating the coke andcoal charging 'mechanism.

The manufacture offuel gas may be carried out in the apparatus illustrated in the drawings substantially as follows:

Fuel to be carbonized is fed to a hopper '10 from a bin 12, and is intermlttently introduced into the upper part of a gas generafold 22. The fuel discharging from the manifold orbell 22passes around a central gas offtake23 and is distributed into the top of an lupright column of fuel supported in the shaft 14. The upper portion of the fuel column or approximately the portion above a flat circumferential wall extension 24 in the shaft 14, comprises a carbonizing zone. The portion of the fuel column below the wall extension 24 and extending downwardly a short distance below a flat circumferential wall .ex-

tension 26 in the shaft 14, constitutes a blast or high temperature zone in which the fuel is maintained at a comparatively high temperature by partial combustion thereof. The

portion of the fuel column from the bottom of the blast zone to the bottom of the column is a'cooling or quenching zone in which the unburned fuel and ash is cooled before be- Carbonized fuel and ashes are continuously discharged from the bottom of the column and fuel. continuously moves downwardlythrough the shaft.

The gas manufactured in the present-apparatus may be a high grade industrial fuel gas similar to the gasdescribed in my afore-' mentioned application, Serial No. "640,828,

now Patent 1,837,226, andthe same series of the passage 36.

reactions take place as in the case cited. In operating the present apparatus the air and steam used in making gas are preheated and then introduced into the blast zone of the fuel column to carry outthe reactions outlined in the aforementioned patent. The mixture of air and steam is introduced 1nto one of a pair. of preheaters 28 which are so arranged that while one of the preheaters is i used for preheating the gas and steam mixture, the other preheater is being heated by eral type of apparatus used in effecting heat Q transfer. I

When one preheater has been cooled to a fixed minimum temperature, the circulation of air and steam is changed to the other pres heaterwhich has been previously heated by the combustion of exhaust gases therein. The mixture of air and steam is introduced into the preheaters 28 through a pipe 30 in the top of exhaust sections 32 of the preheaters, passed downwardly through checker brick in these sections, then upwardly through checker brick in the main sections. In passing through the two sections of the preheater the mixture of steam and air becomes highly heated and it then flows through a nostril 34 into a circumferential passage surrounding the blast portion of the fuel column. I

The circumferential wall extensicn 26, which constitutes on offset in the lining and shell of the generator, is placed directly above the inlet from the nostril 34. As the fuel in the column descends and passes this wall extension it can expand to fill the greater cross sectioned area in the shaft below the wall extension, and the outer face of this eX- panded section of the column will assume the angle of repose of the descendingmaterial. The space formed below the wall extension and between the face of the column of fuel and the generator lining, forming the passage 36, will always be of practically the same volume, and will extend around the whole circumference of the shaft. The nostril 34 is connected by a Y connection 38 to both of the preheaters 28, and hot valves 40 positioned in the connecting pipes permit the shutting off of either preheater while the other preheater is .being used to heat the blast gases. A refractory baffle 42 of triangular cross section, (see Fig. 4), is set in front of the nostril 34 to deflect the gases entering through the nostril in From the circumferential passage 36 the both directions into fuel unconsumed.

ture.

'mixture of steam and air in the blast enters the fuel column and combines with the car- 'bon of the fuel according to the various reactions previously referred to, which are primar1ly exothermic andtherefore maintain a 7 high temperature zone in this portion of the fuel column. The producer gas formed in the high temperature Zone passes upwardly through the expanded portion of the fuel column lying between the wall extensions 26 and 24, and a major portion of the hot lean gases are removed directly from this zone through a circumferential passage 44 below a through the nostril 84 are forced to follow 20' the whole cross section of the fuel column in a roughly diagonal upward course through order to pass out through the nostril 46. The exothermic reaction between the blast gases and the fuel continues while the gas is traversing the distance between the two nostrils, or'at least so long as there is any air or Since the blast air is introduced into the column and the exhaust gases are removed from the column around its whole periphery and therefore are not limited except in a general way to a diagonal course through the column, it follows that practically all of the fuel column lying between the two circumferential wall extensions 24 and 26 is maintained at a high temperabelow the wall extension 24 permits an expansion of the fuel column in this high temperature zone, and thus increases the porosity of the fuel bed and insures a thorough penetration of the blast gases throughout the charge. The greatest concentration of ash "and the highest temperatures will occur in the peripheral portion of the columnadjacent the blast inlet. The fuel is passed through the shaft at such a rate that this concentration will not exceed a limit above which clinker trouble would occur, and for .this reason quite a large proportion of fuel is allowed to pass the high" temperature zone unconsumed. In case the temperatures adjacent the blast inlet get so high as to endanger the life of the refractory material-forming the wall extension 26 and the generator lining, or in case the temperatures adjacent the gas oiftake become too low, means are provided whereby the blast air and steam may be introduced through the nostril 46, and the blast gases may be removed through the nostril 34 after passing diagonally downward throug'hthe fuel column.- The direction of the blast maybe altered at will, but it is preferredto maintain an upward blast so far as possible. 1

The major portion of the exhaust blast The enlarged area of the generator gases, which is removed through the ofi'take nostril 46, is generally passed through a Y connection 48 (Fig. 2) into one 'or both of, a

pair of waste heat steam boilers 50, although it may be carried directly to one of the preheaters 28 through conduits 52, (see Fig.2). Hotvalves54 in the Y connection 48 and hot valves 56 in the conduits 52 control the direction of flow of the exhaust blast gases. These hot gases are preferably allowed to pass through one of the waste heat boilers, where they are cooled, and are then conducted through conduits 58 into the conduits=52 and thence into the preheaters 28 where they are burned. However, the cooled exhaust gases may be withdrawn through a main 6() to storage,where they can be used as a dilu- .ent for a richer coal gas removed: from the top of the shaft. The waste heat boilers are regular upright tubular steam;boilers having water inlets 62 and steam connections 64 with the preheaters 28. These waste heat boilers will ordinarily produce enough steam to take care of the requirements of the gas making operation, but they may be sup-plemented with other steam generating equipment if necessary. a p

In order to supplement the exhaust blast gases from the generator, one or more stokers 66, adapted to burn coke breeze and waste fuels, are connected to the preheaters by conduits 68. These stokers are preferably of a standard type with a traveling'grate, and are of sufiicient capacity to maintain the preheaters at the high temperatures necessary for operation. I

The volatile oils and other valuable byproducts such as tars and ammonia are removed from the coal by low temperature I carbonization. portion of the producer gas being made in the blast zone is led upwardly past the circum- To accomplish this a minor fe'rential ofi'take passage 44 through the carbonizing zone of the fuel column to distill 01? the by-products of the coal by a heat transfer therewith. This small amount of gas, cooled by its contact with the descending coal, and carrying with it the low temperature byproducts, passes into the inverted cone central oiftak-e 23 at the top of the shaft, and flows through a conduit 7 0 which conducts it to the usual purification and treating equipment. Thus the by-products may be removed by treating a comparatively small amount of gas, and the purified gas may be mixed with the gas passing through the outlet nostril 46 andwaste heat boilers 50. By the time the fuel has moved downwardly through the jcarbonizing zone and reached the blast 3 zone there is substantially no'volatilemaj needs no special purification treatment. A large part of the minor portion of producer gas which ispassed upwardly through the carbonizing zone of the fuel column is gener-' ated' in the peripheral sections of the blast zone adjacent the blast inlet, and by mounting the rich gas offtake 23 axially in the top of the carbonizing chamber a uniform penetration of the heating gases throughout each crosssection of the upper carbonizing zoneof the fuel bed is secured during the upward passage of the gas from the peripheralsections of the blast zone to the axial offtake 23.

The column of fuel is supported in the bottom of the generator upon an eccentric cone platform 72 and a series of hopper-like receivers 74in conjunction with radially placed horizontal platforms 7 6 lpositionediperiphera-11y between the cone and the inner wall of the shaft. The cone is centrally supported on a bearing 78, and is revolved continuously by means of a vertical shaft 80 which .is connected by gears 82 to a drive shaft 84.- The shaftSO' passes through a stuffing box in the bottom of the shell.

The cone may be rotated in either direction and this rotation combined with the eccentric mounting of the cone provides a means for agitating the central part of the fuel column. The weight of the column of fuel combines with the revolving action of the central cone to advance the fuel in the lower part of the column toward the peripheral receiver openings, whence it falls I onto the platforms 76. These platforms are reciprocated by means of water operated engines 86, discharging the coke'and ash into a hopper 88 in the bottom of the generator.

'The cone discharging apparatus supporting the column of fuel in the shaft is designed and operated with theparticular object of insuring so far aspossi'ble the uniformcombustion of all sections of the charge during its passage through the generator. It is apparent that in introducing the. blast gases peripherally into the fuel column combustion will take place more rapidly in the peripheral jportions than in the axial portions of the column, because by the time the blast gases have penetrated to the center of the column they will have been stripped of a great pro- 'portion of theircombustion supporting constituents. Thus in order to preventclinkering of the fuel in the outside sections, and at the same time to secure at least a partial combustion of't'he fuel in the center of'the column, it is necessary to provide a device such as "the discharging apparatus shown, which will advance the fuel in the peripheral sec tions of the column at a comparatively rapid rate while at the same time retarding the rate of advancement of material in the, axial sectionsof the column. 7 To cool the body of coke and ash in th lower portion of the column a water or steam coil 90 is positioned below the cone 72, and has outlets adjacent each of the vertical openings between the peripheral receivers 7 4 and the platforms 76 by which water or steam from, the waste heat boilers. may be directed into the coke and ash to quench and cool it. The agitating action of the revolving cone tends to break up any largebodi'es in thefuel column into comparatively smallpi'eces and periodically removed by a revolving cone devases at the bottom of'the hoppers, which.

By means of a heat transfer with I from the 0s cillating platforms into the hopper 88 is r has substantially the same construction as the charging devices 16 used for charging fuel into the top of the shaft, seei'Figs. 5'

and 6. The devices 16 are castings in'the form ofa truncated cone having a hollow cylindrical core 94, and a rectangular slot 96 cut into the wall 98 of the cone. The slot 96 corresponds in length and" breadth to the cross-sectional dimensions of the "bottom opening of the hopper 10, and likewise of the top of the nostril 20. The housings 18 form connecting links between the hopper bottom and the nostrils 20,. and the inner walls 100 of the housings are tapered to conform to the taper ofthe'out'er face of" the socket in the face of the large end of the cone 16, forming a flange, and cap screws 104 are used to hold this flange toa face 106- of the housing, in such a way that an airtight bearcones 16. -A, two-piece ring 102' fits into a p ing surface is provided between the outer wall of the cone and the inner wall of the housing. A number of thin liner. bands (not shown) may. be preferably placed between the face 106 of the housing and the ring 102, (see Fig. 6) and'by removing one or more of to the cone at its center-line, and a sprocket wheel 110, is keyed to the shaft. This-sprocket wheel is connected'to a motor or other source of power, and thecone is by this means caused to revolve in thehousing 18.. Thus as the cone revolves the-slot96 will pass under the opening in the bottom of the hopper 10. filling the'hollow core 94 of the cone with coal. The cone will continue to revolve until the opening of the slot isover the intake nostril 20, whenthe coal will fall from the cone through the nostril 20 into the charging bell 22 and thence to the generator. revolves continuously, and it will be seen that its construction provides almost. aperthese liners at intervals any wear on'thefcore may be. taken up. Ashaft108 is fastened The cone fect sealagainst the escape of any gases from the generator into the charging hopper. By using this type of mechanism the fuel may be withdrawn from the bottom of the shaft without allowing any gas to escape, and also without having to change the pressures in the generator. The bottom opening of the hopper 88is offset in order that the vertical shaft 80 may not interfere in any way with the removal of coke from the hopper.

-With the use of the apparatus in the manner outlined above, it will be seen that the method of manufactureand quality of gas may be controlled, and that'a very good heat balance will be obtained, because heat is utilized with maximum degree of efliciency. The body of the shaft is clear of obstructions of any kind through out the whole length of the fuel column, and the lneans provided at the bottom for agitating the charge-insures an open column at all times and precludes the formation-of any body .of plastic material or clinker mass within the shaft. The removal of the central gas oiftake and its replacement inthe present invention. by a peripheral-arch oiftake with a single nostril increases the actual fuel charging and gas making capacity of .the generator not only by an amount corresponding to the volume formerly occupied by the central ofi'take, but also to a much greater extent by increasing the size of the high temperature zone. This enlarged high temperature zone leads to a greatly increased gas'make, which in turn demands an increased rateof passage of fuel through the generator in order-to maintain the same gradeof gas, and thereby the capacity of the apparatus'and resultant efliciency of the process is increased considerably.

The preferred form of the invention having been thus described what is claimed as new is: r

1. In 'gasmaking apparatus, a gas generating shaft having two vertically spaced nostril openings in its mid-portion, two preheaters each having separately controlled in the said arrangement of apparatus thereby enabling utilization of the sensible heat of the blast gases for generating steam in said boilers and of the potential heat of the blast-v gases for preheating blast air and for superheating steam in said preheaters.

2. In gas making apparatus, an upright gas generating shaft having separately controlled interchangeable vertically spaced circumferential blast inlets and blast gas oiltakes in its mid-portion, two preheaters each connected directly with each of the said blast inlets and blast gas offtakes, means positioned in the lower portion of the shaft forv agitating and supporting a column of'fuel therein, and means cooperating with said fuel supporting means for advancing fuel downwardly ata controlled variable rate through the axial and peripheral portions of said, column, respectively, and for discharging through each of saidopenings, two waste heat boilers each connected directlyto the shaft through each of said openings, direct gas connections between the waste heat boil-.

ers and the preheaters, and steam connections between the waste heat boilersand the preheaters. a g

4. In gas making apparatus, an upright gas generating shaft,.means for introducing fuel into the top of the shaft, means'mounted in the lower portion of the shaft for continuously advancing fuel in a column through the shaft and for removing ash and unburned fuel from the bottom of the column, a circumferential blast inlet in the longitudinal mid-portion of the shaft, a circumferential blast gas oiftake in the mid-portion of the shaft vertically separated a substan tial distance from the blast-inlet, means for p g rendering said blast inlet and blast gas offtake interchangeable infunction, apairof preheaters each having direct connections with both the said blast inlet and the said blast gas oiftake and a rich gas ofl'take mounted axially in the top ofthe shaft with its inlet arranged for luting in the upper] portion of a column of fuel supported there;

5Q In gas making apparatus, an upright gas generating shaft having separately controlled interchangeable vertically-spaced circumferential blast air inlets and blast gas oiftakes in its mid portion, two preheaters respectively directly connected to each of the said blast air inlets and blast gas ofl'takes,

and fuel charging mechanismcomprisingahollow truncated cone gate having arec-t tangular opening on one side, a housing for said cone with a cylindrical tapered inner wall having rectangular openings through oppositesides thereof, means for holdingfthe sides" of the cone gate in'gas-tight relation to s'aidhousing wall, and means for causin said gate to revolve in said housing.

"6. In gas making apparatus, a single gas generating shaft, means for introducing solid 1 fuel at a controlled rate into the shaft, means located in the longitudinal mid-portion of q the shaft for selectively introducing a combustion-supporting gas thereto and for 'removing blast gases peripherally therefrom; means connected with the mid-portion of the said shaft at a point vertically spaced a substantial distance from the last-named neans, and adapted for selectively introducing a combustion-supporting gas and for removingblast gases. peripherally from the.

mid-portion; of said shaft, separate means in g the shaft forremoving gas axially from the 4 below the said "fuel-removing means, the

above combination of means being adapted" to facilitate the continuous and regular through the shaft. I

7. Apparatus for heat treating carbonaceous materials containing a volatile portion and a combustible solid portion, comprising a shaft havlng means for charging and discharging material, means for conducting hot gases from the upper portion of the shaft,

a plurality of vertically-spaced means respectively located in the mid-portion of the shaft and adapted for continuously flowing 35.

preheated air andsuperheatedsteam into the mid-portion of the shaft and for removing gases directly therefrom, a steam generator, valved means connecting the I latter selec tively with either of the said vertically spaced means, a plurality of preheaters,

valved conduits directly connecting each of the preheaters interchangeably with each-of the said;vertically-spaced.means, conduits directly' connecting each of the preheaters with the steam generator, and means for introduc ing steam into the base of the generator, said last-named means including a water spray device mounted in the lower portion of the shaft in .position to quench the hot solidresidue' of gasification and thereby generate additional'steam for gas making. A

8. In. gas making apparatus, asingle gas generating shaft having two" vertically spaced nostril openings in its mid-portion,

two preheaters, each of the preheaters being in direct controlled communication with the generating shaft through each of thesaid nostril. openings, two waste heat boilers,

means establishing direct controlled communication between the generating shaft and eachofithewaste heat boilers through each of the said nostril openings in the generating shaft, means adapted for directly conducting blast gases. from each waste heat boiler to a respectlve preheater, air: inlets at the removem-ent of the fuel and als vertically spective ends of each preheater, andcon-j trolled means for directly conducting steam" from either boiler heater.

9. Ingas making apparatus, avsingle gas generating shaft having two vertically spaced nostril openings in its mid-portlon,

ducting steam from either boiler selectively:

to either preheater. H

10; Ingas making apparatus, an upright gas generating shaft, an interchangeable circumferential blast air inlet and gas ofitake member in thelongitudinal:mid-portion" of the shaft, a second interchangeable circumferentialblast air. inlet and gas ofitake member in the mid-portion of the shaft and vertically spaced from the first-mentioned interchangeable member, 'means" for selectively controlling the admission of air and the withdrawal of blast gases through the respective interchangeable members, where by a deep high-temperature gas-generating; zone is maintained, an eccentrically mounted rotatable device in the lower portion ofthe shaft adapted for supporting a column of fuel therein, and means associated with the said fuel supporting device for removing can bonizedfuel and ash peripherally from the bottom of said column'at a controlled rate.

11. In gas making apparatus, a single upright gas-generating shaft having two'circumferential vertically-spaced lateral inner wall extensions at about its vertical mid-- section, the said shaft having vertically spaced nostril openings in its walls immediately beneath each of the said wall. extensionsymeans for selectively controlling the admission of air and steam and the withdrawal ofblast gases through each of the respective vertically-spaced nostrils where; by a deep high-temperature gas-generating zone is maintained in the mid-portion of the shaft, and a rich gas ofi'take mounted axially at the top of said shaft. I In testimony whereof I affix my signature; HENRY O. LOEBELL.

selectively to either pre- 

